• 'Businesses that plough profit into people and society are
best defence against phony growth in the economy'

• Autumn Statement is a 'make or break moment' to turn away from
debt-fuelled growth model

• Alliance calling for bottom-up economic growth using
alternative social economy policies that support community energy
production, crowd-funding, co-operation and more democratic
businesses

The Government must create economic policies that support
Britain's emerging social economy if it is to address the rising
cost of living and growing inequality in the UK, according to The
Social Economy Alliance(www.socialeconomyalliance.org.uk).
The campaigning group, made up of 22 respected co-operative and
social enterprises (including health and social care organisation
Turning Point), universities, think tanks, charities and housing
associations, says that businesses that plough profit into people
and society are the best defence against long term, phony growth in
the economy.

The Alliance welcomed the Chancellor's comments on
mutually-owned business models. But the group said that the
Chancellor must use alternatives to the 'pre-crash economic
toolkit' to bring genuine growth to the UK and avoid setting the
economy on the road to further trouble. The Alliance warned that
growth figures released in today's Autumn Statement represent a
'make or break moment', where the Government must resist the
temptation to return to a debt-fuelled growth model that doesn't
improve standards of living for all.

During the financial crisis, co-operative and social enterprises
have been resilient and have outstripped ordinary business for
growth and innovation. Alternative banks have shown better returns.
The Alliance said that the Government should now show its full
support to the UK's emerging socially-driven economy.

The Alliance is calling for bottom-up economic growth using
alternative social economy policies that support, for example,
community energy production, credit unions, crowd-funding and
alternative banks, social enterprise housing groups and other
social ownership models, and has commented on a number of areas
covered by the Chancellor's statement:

Housing - the sell off

The public sector does need to free up land for more housing,
but one-off cash payments from the highest bidder must be avoided.
The Alliance believes that the Public Services (Social Value) Act
should be extended to cover management and disposal of assets to
ensure that taxpayer-owned land benefits local communities long
into the future.

Public services - the A&E crisis

Support for Accident and Emergency rooms is necessary, but the
government can reduce the need for bailouts by investing in
preventative health care strategies implemented within
communities.

Business rate freeze

Freezing business rates is to be welcomed, but more support
should be concentrated on SMEs, social enterprises and
cooperatives, that are regenerating high streets and local areas
and delivering long-term social and economic value.